<!--IPTC: Tyler Bozak is a rare 22 year old sophomore who has led the team in scoring over the past two years. He could leave the team at anytime as a free agent in the NHL, but chooses to stay on the team. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post, Illustration by Reza A. Marvashti / The Denver Post.)-->

The scrawny kid from Regina, Saskatchewan, has finally grown up. For that, the University of Denver hockey program is thankful and NHL clubs are getting into position. At age 22, Denver sophomore center Tyler Bozak is on track to receive maximum entry-level free-agent money, about $1.8 million over two years, with the NHL team of his choice when he signs.

“When the season’s over, I’ll get with my family adviser, and we’ll go over depth charts, cities and find out where the best place is for me,” Bozak said.

Passed over by the NHL’s 30 teams during his draft-eligible years (ages 18-20), the Pioneers’ 180-pound star stayed under the radar until his 6-foot-1 frame began filling out two years ago. He’s now in the enviable position of picking an NHL team before playing his first shift in the league.

Twenty-six teams have expressed interest in signing him, according to his family adviser, agent Wade Arnott of Newport Sports Management in Mississauga, Ontario.

Any chance of Bozak leaving DU during the season likely ended when he suffered an injury to his left knee. He underwent surgery Friday to repair the meniscus and is shooting to be back in top form for the No. 5 Pioneers’ stretch run.

“I was pretty good when I was really young, but I was a small, fast guy, and when hitting came along I wasn’t very good,” Bozak said. “When I was 11 or 12 I had a growth spurt, growing like 4 or 5 inches in a short span of time, and I had to spend the next couple years getting back in my body.”

Bozak joined DU as a 21-year-old freshman a year ago, weighing just 160 pounds. His lack of bulk is mainly why he began college late, a decision supported by his father, Mitch, a former hockey coach. The Bozaks were willing to wait for better collegiate offers, turning down lower-level programs before DU, known as an NHL breeding ground, showed interest.

“He was the biggest factor in my life and my hockey career,” Bozak said of his father.

Bozak paced DU in scoring as a freshman and is second on the team with 21 points in 18 games and a team-high plus-14 rating.

His production should be no surprise considering what he did in his final junior-A season in 2006-07 — when Bozak “came into his body.” Playing for the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League, he led the league with 128 points and had an astounding 83 assists in 59 games. The BCHL’s No. 2 scorer that season was Kyle Turris, who was the third overall selection in the 2007 NHL draft and is now a rookie with the Phoenix Coyotes. His rapid development, including a hungry appetite for checking as his body began to fill out, began that season.

“He’s got a great skill set. Great skater, good balance on his skates, great hands, and he’s tough,” DU coach George Gwozdecky said. “He’s a multi-dimensional player and that’s what so many (NHL) people see of him. He’s not one of those guys that you have to manage his ice time. You can’t say that a lot about the big scorers.”

Denver-based agent Kurt Overhardt, who represents a handful of former DU players, said the bidding for Bozak figures to be intense if he comes back full strength.

“Any time you have a 30-team league and those teams can compete for the services of a free agent who has proven he can put the puck in the net in arguably the best league in college hockey, there is going to be a very competitive atmosphere,” Overhardt said.

The last DU sophomore to go directly to the NHL was Avalanche standout center Paul Stastny, who is just 3 months older than Bozak. In 2006, Stastny could negotiate with only the Avs, because Colorado selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft.

“It’s actually a good thing I wasn’t drafted,” Bozak said. “If I was drafted by a team that had three or four established centers right now, it would be tougher to get in the lineup, to make that jump, so I wouldn’t have the choice. As a free agent, I have a lot of choices.”

Bozak turned down NHL offers this past offseason. Gwozdecky said his star compares favorably with Stastny, who recently signed a five-year, $33 million contract with the Avs.

“In some ways, he and Stas are very similar,” Gwozdecky said. “Stas was as good defensively as he was offensively, as is Tyler. And for both of them, the more they can play, the better off our team is. They can do everything.”

There are stark differences in their style, however. Bozak’s game is based on speed and all-out energy, while Stastny is more of a controlled threat, and he’s sneaky.

“Tyler probably has an edge in top-end speed, but Stas is a little bit more of a playmaking quarterback,” Gwozdecky said.

Said Bozak: “To even compare me to Stastny is an honor. I go to the Avs games and pick up on things he’s doing. He’s unbelievable.”

Last January, Arnott was the family adviser for DU sophomore forward Brock Trotter, who withdrew from school and signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens at a time when he led the Pioneers in scoring. Bozak isn’t going anywhere until after this season especially with the need to rehabilitate his knee before a run at the NCAA championship.

“We have a team capable of winning the national championship, and I want to be part of that ride,” he said. “I’ll then look at my options.”

Undrafted, not unwanted

DU’s Tyler Bozak could be the next undergraduate to sign a lucrative NHL free-agent contract. Other undrafted players who left college for the NHL before their junior year.

G Curtis Joseph

Played as a freshman at Wisconsin (1988-89) before signing with St. Louis. Now with Toronto.

F Dustin Penner

Concluded a two-season career at the University of Maine with the 2004 NCAA title game against DU. Signed with Anaheim and was on 2007 Stanley Cup team. Now with Edmonton.

F Ryan Carter

Played two seasons at Minnesota State, signed with Anaheim in 2006, played one season for the AHL’s Portland Pirates and is now a regular with the Ducks.

F Curtis Glencross

Played two years at Alaska-Anchorage, signing with Anaheim in 2003. Finally out of the minors and with the Flames.

Mike Chambers, The Denver Post

The NCAA and the NHL

Draft 101

The NHL draft consists mostly of teenagers who are not ready to play in the big leagues. The following are NHL draft rules based on a prospect playing in the NCAA or heading to college. (Different rules apply to non-NCAA North Americans and European prospects.)

* Eligible players: North Americans who turn 18 by September and are not older than 20 by Dec. 31.

* Signing period: NHL teams retain rights to a drafted player until 30 days after the player leaves college.

* Free agency: A player who is not drafted by the age of 20 is an unrestricted free agent, such as DU’s Tyler Bozak.

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